Korin's Tower
by illegiblewriter
Summary: More than three hundred years have passed since Goku died and the ZWarriors passed along with those years. The Saiyan blood had dwindled to next to nothing and Korin almost gave up hope that a human would arise; showing more Saiyan in him than the rest...
1. first climb, last hope

Korin's Tower

(first climb, last hope)

****

****

            "That pole goes awfully high, Rae," Jaxon placed his hands on his chubby hips and stared up at the pole.

            "Yeah, well, it's suppo'sed to be a tower, so I guess it ought to be that high," A boy younger than Jaxon spoke through a thick country accent. 

            "Hmm, maybe, why don't you ask your pa?"

            "I dunno," The two boys stood, not making any move to go anywhere, or do anything, just standing there, looking up at the height defying pole. Suddenly, but slowly, a smile broke out on Rae's face. 

            "Hey, I'll bet you I can beat you to the top," his eyes sparkled as he turned to look at Jaxon. Jaxon's reaction was much the same; his eyes twinkled at the prospect, _a race!_

            A race to the top of the pole, or tower as Rae called it. "Okay," the two got ran up to the pole and placed their hands above their heads, ready to take off, "On your mark," Jaxon called. 

            "On your what?"

            "Mark," When Rae still looked at him puzzled, Jaxon explained, "I heard it in a movie once, one back when we were still livin' in the city." Rae frowned, he hated it when Jaxon spoke of his life in the city, and it made him jealous. Rae had never been to the city. Rae shrugged it aside and let Jaxon continue his "city-talk". 

            "Get set," As Jaxon drew the words out the two boys crouched, "GO!"

            Rae took off a second early and all the way up the first five yards or so, Jaxon hollered, "cheater!" but Rae let the insult go. Eventually, Rae and Jaxon got so high; they couldn't waste breath hollering to each other. 

            "Rae! This is getting awfully hard! I think we should go back." Jaxon complained, more than two feet below his companion. 

            "What? Are you _scared_?" Rae taunted.

            "No, I just think we ought to go back down, thatz all." 

            "Scaredy-cat," At that Jaxon stopped,

            "I am _not_," 

            "Then come on up Jax, nothin' to be 'fraid of." Jaxon hesitated, put his arm in front of him, readying himself to climb further, but gave up and slid down, all the while hearing Rae's taunts calling down to him. 

            Reaching the bottom, Jaxon looked down at his shoes, his old, worn-out shoes, and began to whimper, he was a coward, and Rae was so much better than him and country boys who'd always lived in the country weren't supposed to be better than him. He went on crying until a squeaky noise was followed by a "thump" and he looked up to see Rae standing in front of him. 

            "Got too high," Rae muttered and walked past Jaxon. 

-- --- -- ---- - --

            Everyday after that the two six-year olds, who had never been to school, and only ever dreamed of the city went back to the clearing in the woods and climbed the pole. Eventually they came to realize that that first day had been nothing more than a baby climb and the pole reached far beyond those first six feet. (They had used a tape measure) They kept on climbing, every day after chores 'cause they had nothing better to do, and the pole amazed them. 

            Finally, five years after they had discovered the pole, there came a day when neither Rae, nor Jaxon turned up. And they didn't show up for another week, and that day neither one climbed the pole. They left for three months; came back, and didn't climb the pole. They never climbed pole again, they had found other lives to live and eventually ceased to return. 

            Now, you probably don't care, this sort of thing happens all the time, just with trees and not poles. To you, there is nothing out of the ordinary about this situation, and I doubt you're sensing any tragedy. But if you were to go to the very top of that pole, because it does eventually end, you would see our good friend Korin. 

            Korin, the old, white and ever-aging, never-dying cat. We all now about Korin, he stands there with his crooked staff and his closed and smiling eyes, growing senzu beans occasionally speaking a few words of wisdom through his coarse throat that supposedly shouldn't allow him to talk. This is a cat after all. Well, this weary old cat had been around for a while, maybe a little longer than he should have, and he was starting to hope those two country boys would someday reach the tower. And when they gave up, he gave up any hope of finding another Goku amongst the people of earth. 

            More than three hundred years had passed since Goku died, and the ZWarriors had passed along with those years. The Saiyan blood had dwindled to next to nothing by now, and Korin had almost given up hope that a human would arise; showing more Saiyan in him than the others; when Rae and Jaxon had come. 

            Korin had waited for years for those boys to push their limits and reach the top, but they never even pushed for halfway. He thought there were plenty of chances in the years ahead, until the boys stopped coming. Then everything fell back to where it had been. No Saiyans. No warriors. No hope. 

            Korin had sensed that peace wouldn't remain for as long as it had, he had been wrong so far, but he wanted a fighter for the people of earth before he died. 

            Funny, maybe even ironic perhaps, that one of the single most under appreciated ally to Earth during Goku's times, was all that remained to help when the newest threat showed it's face to the Earth.

A/n: Ummm, yeah… not a very good opening chapter I'll admit, but it's a start. I promise the chapters will get longer and more interesting, I just had to put _something_ out, whether it was like this or not. I just needed a new story to go with. I'm snowed in from school though, so I'll be updating a couple of my other fics if you guys would please read 'em for me! I promise they're better.

Maverix 


	2. young engagement, old story

Korin's Tower

(young engagement, old story)

****

****

            "Hey Rae! C'mon over here!" A young girl's voice called into the clearing a slender figure dragged the tall and tanned Rae. 

            "What do you want to come here for?" Rae whined.

            "Oh, c'mon, this is fun. I've never seen the woods before, Rae." The fifteen year-old blonde, Nachelle, begged Rae with her eyes to show her around his homeland. Rae sighed in resignation. 

            "Fine, but let's not start here, this is just a meadow." And Rae began to walk back to where the couple had come from, between two oak trees. 

            "What about that?" Nachelle pointed across the clearing, Rae turned and was not surprised at what greeted him. In the distance, maybe a mile or so ahead, was a cement cylinder, painted all over in red and blue triangles. 

            "That's an old pole a friend and I found ten years ago, when we were six, it's nothing, really." Rae strongly hoped his girlfriend would dismiss the aging pole, and he was correct; she instead brought up an even touchier subject.

            "A friend, who? I didn't know anybody else lived out here." Nachelle asked it with such innocence and yet Rae wanted to storm off and forget her; but he couldn't leave her, they _were_ engaged after all.

            "Um, his name was Jax, he lived a little more to the nor—"

            "Jax? You mean that jerk Jaxon? You're friends with him?"

            Rae squirmed, "Well, no, not really…well, a little, kinda…no, not anymore…but…yeah, I mean no…eeeeeaaaaaaah…" 

            Nachelle looked questioningly disgusted at Rae before shrugging it off. "Well, can we go see it?"

            "Nach, it's just a pole," Rae whined. 

            "Oh, c'mon, it won't take long!" Nachelle grabbed hold of Rae's wrist and pulled him toward the pole. Reluctantly, after the first quarter-mile pull Rae stopped slugging behind and began to instead run towards the towering feature. Once they two finally arrived at the base of the pole, Nachelle gazed up, taking careful notice of all the painted markings, markings Rae and Jaxon had never paid attention to in their fours years of climbing the pole. Sighing, Rae was about to ask for Nachelle to come with him, when his fiancé looked inquiringly to the sky and asked how high the pole was. Rae was caught off-guard at the question, and replied truthfully.

            "I don't really know, we never reached the top."

            "Never?" Nachelle was genuinely amazed, Rae was known for his climbing ability, he had reached the top of Mt. Ruu at fourteen, that he had never reached the top of this… this…pole, was astounding. 

            "Yeah, yeah, look, hun, I'm getting' some bad feelin's bein' 'round 'ere agin." Nachelle stared at him. 

            "What was that?" 

            Rae blushed, "Sorry, old accent." He looked up, "Hun, let's just go—" 

            "No Rae! C'mon! Climb it for me, maybe you can reach it now!" Nachelle tugged his arm closer to the giant cylinder. "C'mon!" 

            Rae sighed, "Alright, alright, but from now on _I'm_ choosing the tour route and entertainment, got it?" Rae completed irritately and Nachelle bobbed her head. Rae turned his eyes upon the offensive object he was to climb, took a deep breath and began to scale the wall. 

-- --- -- ---- - --

At first, it was simple, and within a few minutes he had progressed to half the height he had as a child. After ten minutes had gone by he had reached the previous vertical length. He kept on, wanting to settle once and for all that this was only an ordinary pole, and any man could climb it. He surprised himself when after thirty minutes he did not find himself wanting to give up and slide down to once again stroll through the woods with Nachelle. Instead, he found the pole luring him to the top, tugging at his interest and even reaching out to his soul… as if it wanted him to climb up. 

            Rae paused to wipe the sweat off his head, glancing about him he spied a patch of white: a cloud. Surely he hadn't climbed _that_ high. Shaking his head he looked down to see nothing but green, Nachelle wasn't even a spec anymore, her bright blue dress could not distinguish itself from the surrounding green. After widening his eyes, Rae began to consider climbing down. He of course wasn't afraid of heights; it was just he had never planned on actually _climbing_ it _this_ far. He had only to climb up to satisfy Nachelle. As he contemplated the idea, he realized his arms were aching from strain. Well, that settled it; Rae removed his left leg and began to lower farther below him, when he felt another tug. It was like the one he had been feeling all through the climb. 

Shaking the feeling off, Rae ignored the tug and began to plunge down the pole. But before he set his foot back down to begin decent, he felt an arm, an invisible arm pull him up. An image flashed before his mind of a strong black-haired man in orange clothing. His hair was spiked, even more so than Rae's own. The man wasn't smiling, but not frowning either. He looked…like he was longing for something. Almost sad. Rae felt a feeling a dread and terror swell up inside him. His heart began to ache painfully, and Rae had the most peculiar idea that these painful emotions were coming form the man. Then, he felt the tugging again, the man's image disappeared and Rae looked up. He lifted his hand, readying himself to heave his body higher and as he did, the pain he felt began to subside. But when he tried the other way, lowering his body closer to the ground, the pain - - it was like that of loss - - swelled and he felt his insides writhe in agony. 

So he took another step up.

And another.

And another.

And before he knew it, he had reached a platform. He climbed above the circular floor, to see if this was truly the top, or only a brief stop. 

There was no more of the pole. He had made it. 

Shimmying back the platform he glanced around. It was clean and well kept. Obviously someone took very good care of this place. He wandered aimlessly around, peeking in through the few doorways. He found a staircase and climbed up. Reaching the upper floor of the very, _very_ upper house, he was greeted by a smiling snow-white cat. 

"Hello. Welcome to my Tower. I was hoping you'd come."

A/n: Yeah, short chap, next one will be just as short unfortunately. However, after that they'll get longer. I promise. And thanx to my reviewer! You made me feel very special! ^_^ Really, I've never had a first review for a story that I appreciated more than that.

THANX.

Maverix 

Also, a few words for you guys: White Sands. New Mexico. Carlsbad Caverns. Spring Break. One Week. Updates? Yeah Right.


	3. long life, short notice

Korin's Tower

(long life, short notice)

            Soft brown eyes followed the flight of the blue jay as it soared overhead. A breeze passed through the boy's hair and tore through the pile of red roses at his feet. The roses broke up and scattered, and only a few damp petals remained by the cold stone memorial. The eyes turned their gaze away from the bird and to the ground, but avoided the gray tablet. 

            A pair of thin arms wrapped themselves around the boy's waist from behind and a head snuggled into his back. 

            Jaxon's larger hands cupped the frailer ones and he turned around, and without looking at her, took a long stride to the house, taking care not to let his arms loose from her waist. 

            It was a solemn walk back to the house, quiet but not painful. Pain seemed to have been around too long, too long for it to be noticed anymore. To the two siblings, pain was simply a numbness in which you could think nothing and do nothing because nothing is all that is left when everything leaves you. 

            Reaching the country house, Jaxon closed the door. The door creaked. A small, meek creak, as if even the door was reluctant to remind Jaxon of the tragedy. Jaxon sighed, the door would forever creak now, he didn't know if he'd ever be able to bring himself to oil its' hinges, didn't know if he could bring himself to touch the hinges, didn't know – it had always been his father's job. He didn't know if he could bear to try and take his place, even if only to a door, it'd be wrong.

            Hours later when meal-time broke out, Naiwi, Jaxon's younger sister, placed the hot rice on the placemat, unsure whether or not it would be eaten. It was, one of the few meals to be eaten in the house, and it was enjoyed well enough. 

            At the end, when the last spec of rice was gone, Jaxon set down his fork with a small "tink" and sat back. He didn't feel like sitting anymore. He didn't feel like staying in the house. Not at all. He felt that he would like to – run. To run, to swim, to climb, to feel blood rushing through his veins and sweat pouring down his back. Anything to let loose all the emotions boiling up inside, to just let go. Standing up, he walked out the door and did just that. 

            He ran, and he went, and he just kept going. He didn't stop, just kept going, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. 

            Every time his foot left a print on the ground, it felt like he had left behind part of his tortured self. Every time a drop of sweat squeezed through the pores in his skin, he felt a part of his sadness shed away. Every time he let a breath go loose, he felt pain was slowly leaving. And every time he inhaled, something new came, a fresh rejuvenating spirit that would save him. He was releasing all his suffering that had once suffocated him and gasping for a breath that could give him life again. 

            But it wasn't enough. So he kept going.

            Recklessly he turned in the forest to a clearing, he kept running, never paying attention to where he was going, when a sight caught his eye long enough for him to stop and stare. 

            As he stood watching, his panting slowed and his blood began to pump steadily once again. He saw the pole, that pole that had once been his object of play. But he no longer looked at it for play. He looked at it for salvation. It was high, but he could climb it. He knew he could climb it. Perhaps never before, but before, there had been the worry of falling off and dying. 

            Now, that was its' purpose. 

            The geometrical figure was looming overhead, casting its' shadow away from him and to the lake. Acting on the previous impulse, Jaxon sped toward the tower. It may have been a mile away, perhaps more, but all that meant was he had to wait longer. So he ran faster. 

            Reaching the pole, he had no second thoughts before extending his arm and heaving himself up. Quickly; anger and despair keeping him going, reminding him of everything bad that had gone wrong and would go wrong if he didn't do this; he climbed. 

            He vaguely remembered passing the pathetic crayon mark that exhibited his greatest childhood accomplishment, but he paid it no heed and kept going. That was his only purpose, to keep going.

            Eventually he passed a height that bore no significance to him, only to Rae, you and me. It was that special place where Rae had almost stopped. Where he had almost given up. That place where the great warrior Goku had appeared. Rae couldn't go that far without help. But Jaxon could, because Jaxon had a purpose. He didn't know it, it was too slyly woven into the scheme of things and places and happenings, but Jaxon had a purpose. And that spot that had stopped Rae, that had been too hard, was gone in an instant as Jaxon passed by without a second thought.

            The hours and yards of cement kept passing, and finally Jaxon met a bulge in the pole, a huge circular platform with a roof. Calming down, Jaxon hastily climbed a few feet further to see if he could go higher, but the pole ended here. 

            Deciding that this was good enough, Jaxon swung below into the open building. He walked across the floor and up a flight of stairs. Peeking over the edge, the saw nothing but white. Was he up high enough? _Yes._ Was this right? _Maybe not, but I'll find out. _

            He needed not take a deep breath, this is what he had climbed for; this was what was meant to happen. He placed his foot on the ledge, and slowly leaned forward. A surge of nerve electrocuted his mind and he jolted forward – but he never made so much as two inches. A human hand grasped the back of his shirt. And an o-too-familiar-voice of an o-too-familiar-cat rasped from behind.

            "No need for that Jaxon. I've been waiting for you too long for you to be gone _that_ quickly."


End file.
